Improvement in locks



UNITED STATES PATENT UEEICE A. M. HILL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES A. MILLER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT .IN Locks.A

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,080, dated March 31,1863.V

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that 1, A. M. HILL, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented an Improvement in Locks and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and c Xact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference markedthereon.

My invention relates to that class of locks and keepers for the same,which are used in connection with ordinary doors; and my im provementconsists in a latch hung to a lock, connected to springs or theirequivalents, and arranged in respect to the hub substantially asdescribed hereinafter, so that a horizontal as well as vertical movementmay be imparted to the outer end of the latch, the Whole being combinedwith a keeper having two inclined planes.

The object of my invention has been to produce a cheap and simple lockwhich can be placed on a right or left handed door without any change asregards the interior parts of the lock.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure l is a front view of a rim-lock and keeper with aportion of one plate of the lock removed in order to show thelatch-bolt; Fig. 2, the same with the latch-bolt in a position differingfrom that seen in Fig. l; Fig. 3, a vertical section ot the keeper onthe line l 2, Fig. 2.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The box or casing A of the lock has its opposite sides formed alike, sothat it may be secured either to a right or left handed door.

A hub, B, having two arms, a a., is arranged to turn as usual in theopposite sides of the lock, and has a square opening for receiving thesquare spindle which is furnished with the usual handles or knobs.

D is the latch-bolt, one en d of which is forked, so as to embrace andbe guided by the hub B, each arm e of this forked end of the latch-bolthaving a projection d, against which bears one of the arms a. of the hubB.

The outer end, h, of the latch-bolt is arranged to pass through anopening, w, in the front edge of the lock, thisopening being ofsufficient height to allow for the depression of the end h of thelatchbolt to the extend described hereinafter.

rIwo coiled springs, H and H', serve to connect the latch-bolt to aprojection, m, on the case of the lock. These spring are arranged, thespring H to move the latchebolt outward when the handles or knobs arereleased, and he spring H to raise the outer end, h, of the Olt.

G is the keeper, midway between the top and bottom of which is anopening, m, this opening being bounded above by the termination of theinclined plane u and below by the termination of a similar inclinedplane a', both planes being formed by ribs projecting above the surfaceof the keeper, and both planes inclining from these ribs downward to theopening m. This opening m of the keeper and the opening w of the lockbear toward each other the relative position shown in Figs. l and 2, theend h of the latch-bolt projecting beyond the edge of the lock, andbehind the inclined plane a of the keeper when the release of thehandles or knobs permits the springH to move the latch-bolt forward.

By turning the hub B one or other of its arms, a, will bear against oneor other of the projections, d, and withdraw the bolt so that its end Itwill be moved into the opening a; from behind the inclined plane n ofthe keeper G, the latch-bolt during this movement being guided at oneend by the upper edge of the opening an, against which it is pressed bythe spring H', and at 4the opposite end by the hub B.

When an open door provided with the abovedescribed lock has to be closedby simply pushing the door, the side of the projecting end h of thelatchbolt will strike theinclined plane n, and will necessarily bedepressed, as seen in Fig. 2, -until the end h is brought opposite tothe opening m, between the two inclined planes of the keeper, when thespring H will at once elevate the latch-bolt until it strikes the upperedge of the opening a', the end h of the bolt taking its place behindthe inclined plane n of the keeper. Y

It will now be seen that the latch-bolt D is arranged to have both ahorizontal reciproeatin g motion anda vibrating motion, and that the hubserves to guide one end of thel bolt during its horizontal movement andserves as a center on which to turn When it vibrates.

As shown in the drawings, the lock is secured to a door Which opens fromleft to right, but as both sides of the lock are finished alike, it canWithout any change of the interior devices be secured to adoor openingfrom right to left, in which case the keeper must be re versed, thelower inclined plane, n', being uppermost, so as to be acted upon by theend la of the bolt. er

I am aware that a keeper having a double` inclined rib or ange has beenheretofore used in connection with the latch-bolt lof a lock `I1herefore do-not claim, broadly, such a device; but

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

` A. M. HILL.

" Vlitnesses:

HENRY HoWscN, J oHN WHITE.

